Andrei Sergeyevich Arshavin (
Russian:
Андрей Сергеевич Аршавин; sometimes
romanized as
Andrey; born 29 May 1981) is a
Russian footballer who plays for the English
Premier League team
Arsenal and
captains the
Russian national team. He has won both the
UEFA Cup and the
UEFA Super Cup with
Zenit.
The 2006
Russian footballer of the year is a versatile
attacking midfielder who can also play as a
second striker. Arshavin gained international attention during his breakthrough performance at the
UEFA Euro 2008 championship in
Austria-
Switzerland which resulted in his inclusion in the Team of the Tournament.
[2]
Signing for Arsenal in 2009, Arshavin enjoyed a successful start to his career with the Gunners, becoming Premier League Player of the Month in April 2009 and Arsenal's player of the month in March and April 2009. During the
2008–09 season, he scored six goals in 12 league appearances for Arsenal. In a match against
Liverpool, Arshavin became the first player to score four league goals at
Anfield since 1946.
[3] Former Arsenal forward
Dennis Bergkamp has speculated that Arshavin has "every chance of becoming a favourite of the London fans
Early years
Andrei Sergeyevich Arshavin was born in
Leningrad, now called
St. Petersburg on 29 May 1981 to a typical
Russian working class family. His father Sergey was a gifted amateur footballer. Arshavin survived an accident that could have potentially killed him when he was hit by a car as a child. His upbringing was made a lot harder when his parents divorced when he was aged 12 with Andrei having to sleep on the floor of a cramped flat with his mother. It was his father who persuaded him to pursue a career in football after his own failure to become a professional football player. Arshavin began playing football at an early age and at seven years of age, he was enrolled in the
Smena football academy of
Zenit, his hometown club. As a schoolboy before football became his sole focus, he was also a promising
draughts player. Arshavin's father died of
heart failure at the age of 40.
[5][6][7] He has written three books including one called ‘555 Questions and Answers on Women, Money, Politics and Football’.
[8] Arshavin also has a degree in Fashion Design.
[8] He often misbehaved at school,"I behaved badly at school. When I was in the second form, I tore down the registering journal of the class". It was this incident described by Arshavin that saw him expelled.
Club career
Zenit Saint Petersburg
In 2000, Arshavin was included in the Zenit first-team squad, making his debut in a 3–0 away win over English side
Bradford City in the
Intertoto Cup,
[9] coming on as a first half substitute for
Andrey Kobelev.
[10] He played in various positions on the field, starting as a right midfielder, then as an attacking midfielder, and finally adopted the second striker's role playing on a flank or behind the target man.
In the 2007
Russian Premier League season,
Shava (
Шава in
Russian), as he was nicknamed by Zenit fans,
[11] guided his
Zenit Saint Petersburg side to the title, starting all 30 matches, scoring 11 goals and providing 11 assists (the most in the Russian Premier League that year) along the way. It was the club's first league title since winning the now defunct Soviet Top League in 1984. Arshavin was also a key player during Zenit's
2008 UEFA Cup triumph and was named
Man of the Match in the
final, again topping the list for assists in that season's UEFA competition.
[13] In October 2008, Arshavin was nominated for the prestigious
Ballon d'Or award, along with 29 others including compatriot
Yuri Zhirkov.
[14]
Arshavin's performances in the
UEFA Cup and
UEFA Euro 2008 brought him to the attention of several European clubs. However, interest had already been expressed in January 2008 by
Newcastle United boss
Sam Allardyce, but he was sacked as manager as the transfer window opened.
[15] In June 2008,
FC Barcelona had their €15 million offer for the player turned down by Zenit.
[16] Tottenham Hotspur's £16m offer in August also fell short of Zenit's £22m asking price.
[17] Zenit's unwillingness to compromise on their asking price caused discontent from both Arshavin, who said the 2008 season was definitely going to be his last with Zenit,
[18] and his agent Denis Lachter.
[19]
Arsenal
During the January 2009
transfer window, Arshavin was persistently pursued by English
Premier League club
Arsenal. On the 2 February transfer deadline day, Arshavin was staying in a
Hertfordshire hotel, just a few miles from the Arsenal training ground. At around 10am,
[20] he left the hotel and was rumoured to be heading back to Russia, but with less than an hour of the transfer window left, a bid from Arsenal was finally accepted by Zenit. By this point, he had agreed personal terms and passed a medical, but a compensation payment by Arshavin himself to Zenit was supposedly holding up the deal.
[21] The deal was further complicated by
poor weather in England which had delayed the Premier League's registration process, eventually forcing the league to extend the deadline beyond 5pm.
[22] The deal was not confirmed until the following day (3 February) nearly 24 hours after the formal transfer deadline had passed, with Arsenal announcing "a long-term deal" for an undisclosed fee.
[23] On the same day, Zenit's official web site claimed that Zenit received an official FA letter confirming Andrei Arshavin's registration as an Arsenal player. He wore the number 23 shirt, last worn by
Sol Campbell. Because he played for Zenit in the
2008–09 Champions League, he was
cup-tied and could not play for Arsenal in the knockout phase.
Debut season
Arshavin made his debut for Arsenal against
Sunderland on 21 February 2009 in the Premier League. The game ended 0–0, though Arshavin was unlucky not to score in the game, coming close twice. On 3 March 2009, Arshavin made his first telling contribution to a Premier League game against
West Bromwich Albion by setting up a goal for
Kolo Touré in the 38th minute via a free-kick, the second goal in a 3–1 victory. On 14 March 2009, Arshavin scored his first Arsenal goal in a very tight angle going solo against
Blackburn Rovers in the 65th minute of the game. He later provided an assist to
Emmanuel Eboué for the third goal of the game, which ended 4–0 to Arsenal.
[24] Arshavin took his goal tally in an Arsenal shirt to two after scoring his first ever goal against
Wigan Athletic in a 4–1 victory on 11 April 2009.
[25]
On 21 April 2009, Arshavin was named
Man of the Match when he scored all four Arsenal goals in a tight match against
Liverpool at
Anfield, which ended 4–4. It was a thrilling encounter, and the first time Arshavin had scored four goals in one match in his entire career.
[26] He is also the first player to score four goals in a single league match at Anfield since
Dennis Westcott for
Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1946,
[27], also the first Arsenal player to score four goals in a single league match at Anfield since
Julio Baptista, and is only the sixth player in Premier League history to score four goals in an away match.
[28] Arshavin captained Arsenal for the first time on 2 May 2009 in an away match against
Portsmouth where they won 3–0 with Arshavin gaining two assists and a contentious penalty.
[29] On 8 May, he was named Premier League Player of the Month for April.
[30] He was also voted as Arsenal's Player Of the Month for April
[31] and came second in Arsenal's Player of the Season Poll, despite only playing in the second half of the season and playing in fewer than a quarter of Arsenal's matches all season.
[32]
2009–10
The Russian came off the bench to score two goals in Arsenal's 2–1 pre-season victory on 1 August over
Atletico Madrid in the
Emirates Cup. Arsene Wenger commented afterward that "[Arshavin] knows how English football works," adding "He knows as well that now he's part of the team from the start. I believe the team knows as well how important (he is) and how big an impact he can have on the results."
[33] On 26 August 2009, Arshavin scored his first
UEFA Champions League goal for Arsenal in the 74th minute in a 3–1 win over
Celtic. He also scored an absolutely beautiful 30 yard shot against
Manchester United at
Old Trafford on 29 August 2010, which was his first goal of the season, despite Arsenal losing 2–1.
[34] Later the same month, he scored the winning goal against Blackburn Rovers again in the Premier League where Arsenal were 2–0 down, then putting them 3–2 up, which Arsenal won 6–2. In early December, Arshavin put in an excellent display against
Stoke City, playing in an unfamiliar role as centre-forward left vacant after
Robin Van Persie's injury. He won a penalty which Fabregas missed before scoring himself and later assisted the second goal, which Arsenal won 2–0. On 13 December 2009, Arshavin scored his fifth goal against Liverpool, which was an absolutely spectacular winner as Arsenal came from behind to beat Liverpool 2–1 at Anfield again, also winning the Man of the Match award in the end again. On 20 January 2010, he scored again in Arsenal's 4–2 victory over
Bolton Wanderers, which helped Arsenal reach the top of the Premier League for the first time since August.
[35] Arshavin played all of Arsenal's six games in March. He scored twice, striking against
Burnley, a 3–1 win and
Hull City, a 2–1 win to take his season's tally to 11. However, he suffered a calf strain against Barcelona, ruling him out for three weeks. Arshavin missed one of two games in May due to injury, but scored for the last time of the season against
Fulham, which Arsenal won 4–0
2010–11
On 17 July 2010, Arshavin scored the opening goal against
Barnet in Arsenal's first pre-season friendly match of the season, which Arsenal won 4–0.
[36] He then won the Man of the Match award for best performance by Arsenal fans according to Arsenal's official website.
[37] On 21 August 2010, Arshavin scored his first goal as a penalty for Arsenal in a 6–0 win over
Blackpool after
Marouane Chamakh was fouled by
Ian Evatt in the penalty area.
[38] He also scored in Arsenal's very next game on 28 August 2010, scoring the winning goal against Blackburn Rovers for the third time when
Cesc Fabregas' shot was blocked and fell into the path of Arshavin, winning the game for Arsenal 2–1.
[39] On 15 September 2010, Arshavin scored and provided two assists against
Braga in Arsenal's first Champions League group stage match, with Arsenal winning 6–0.
[40] On 18 September 2010, Arshavin scored his first Carling Cup goal, which was also Arsenal's 4th goal during extra time to see off
Tottenham Hotspur in the 3rd round of the Carling Cup, with Arsenal winning against their arch rivals 4–1.
[41] He later then scored Arsenal's first goal in a 3–1 midweek Champions League away win against
FK Partizan in the 15th minute after a nice backheel pass by
Jack Wilshere. But
Vladimir Stojković saved Arshavin's penalty in the second half after
Marouane Chamakh was fouled in the penalty area.
[42] On 27 November 2010, Arshavin scored his first goal since September, which was the opening goal against
Aston Villa in a 4–2 away win.
[43] On 29 December 2010, Arshavin scored an absolutely beautiful scissor kick volley to make Arsenal level when they were 1–0 down to Wigan. He later made an assist for
Nicklas Bendtner to put Arsenal 2–1 up, but because of
Sebastien Squillaci's own goal, the match ended 2–2.
[44] He then won the Man of the Match award for best performance by Arsenal fans for the second time.
[45] On 1 February 2011, Arshavin came off the bench in the 62nd minute and scored his first 2011 goal and first goal since December just 8 minutes later to make Arsenal level when they were 1–0 down to
Everton, which Arsenal won 2–1.
He then won the Man of the Match award for best performance by Arsenal fans for the third time.
[47] On 16 February 2011, Arshavin scored the unbelievable, wonder dream winning goal as Arsenal beat
Barcelona for the first time in their history in a 2−1 win in the
Champions League round of 16. Arshavin became Arsenal's first player ever to score a winning goal against Barcelona. It was also Arshavin's first Champions League goal for Arsenal that is not from the group stage and was undeniably one of his most important and greatest goals of all time. When scoring the goal and later celebrating, Arshavin's celebration was quite different from the usual finger to the lips celebration. He celebrated by pulling his jersey over his head (with another shirt seen under) while running to a nearby corner kick flag, with Nicklas Bendtner and every other Arsenal player following, sending the Arsenal fans absolutely wild with joy.
[48] The very next day,
Johan Djourou stated that "Arshavin showed he is a great player", because of his winning goal and his rising performance from his recent dip in form.
[49] On 20 February 2011, Arsenal faced
Leyton Orient for
The FA Cup fifth-round, disappointingly ending 1–1, but Arshavin did win the Man of the Match award for best performance by Arsenal fans for the fourth time, even though not scoring in the game, when he did come close numerous times.
[50][51] Two days later, Arshavin described his Barca goal, just a few days back as a "career-defining" moment.
[52] On 5 March 2011, Arsenal had a controversial game against Sunderland when Arshavin was a fouled in the area by a defender, but referee
Anthony Taylor said no penalty. Towards the end of the game, Arshavin did score, but Taylor's assistant referee flagged him offside when he was clearly "onside" with a disappointing 0–0 draw.
[53] In Andrey's next premiership game, away to West Bromwich Albion he scored a magnificent goal from 23 yards out to get a goal back to 2-1, he also provided the cross for Van Persies late equaliser in that game
International career
Arshavin debuted for the
Russian national team on 17 May 2002, but was overlooked for the Russia squads at the
2002 FIFA World Cup and
Euro 2004.
[54] His first goal with the squad came in a
friendly match versus
Romania on 13 February 2003. Since then, he has managed to score in every competition which Russia has participated in. He was Russia's captain in a
Euro 2008 qualifier against
Estonia. On 11 June 2009, Arshavin was made first choice captain for
Russia by manager
Guus Hiddink.
UEFA Euro 2008
Arshavin was included in Russia's Euro 2008 squad by manager
Guus Hiddink, despite being unable to play in the first two group matches due to suspension.
[55] He announced his return by setting up the 1st goal and scoring the second in Russia's final group game against
Sweden at
Tivoli Neu,
Innsbruck, which helped his team qualify for the next round.
In the next match, the
quarter-final against the
Netherlands, Arshavin repeated the feat with his part in Russia's two goals in the second half of extra time, providing the cross for
Dmitri Torbinski's goal and scoring his own four minutes later. Russia consequently reached the semi-finals with a 3–1 victory. For both of these games,
UEFA awarded him
Man of the Match. However, Arshavin could not repeat the heroics in the semi-final against eventual winners
Spain, which Russia lost 3–0. Despite this, Arshavin was named in UEFA's squad for Euro 2008.
[56]
2010 World Cup qualifying
Arshavin captained the team to a second place finish in their
group, scoring 3 goals in ten games. He provided the assist for
Diniyar Bilyaletdinov's second goal to seal a 2–1 win over Slovenia in the first leg of the
qualification play-offs. Despite this, Russia lost the second leg 1–0, knocking them out of the World Cup finals on away goals.
Honours
Club
Zenit St. Petersburg
Individual
Personal Life
Arshavin met his wife Julia during the summer of 2003. They have two children; a son named Artem and a daughter named Jana.
Andrei Arshavin WEallpaper:
